Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes new signing Martin Odegaard is the perfect fit for the way the Gunners want to play.
Arsenal confirmed the permanent signing of the Norwegian midfielder from Real Madrid but the 22-year-old will not be available for Sunday's Premier League game against Chelsea as the club awaits visa clearance.
Odegaard spent the second half of last season on loan and made 20 appearances during that time.
Martin Odegaard 🤝 London Colney
Back home 🏡 pic.twitter.com/6GpX9hOSBo— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 20, 2021
"He brings a lot of things that he brought last season as well," Arteta said.
"He made us better, we needed more options, alternatives, creativity and players that can be morals for this football club.
"He is still a really young man but he has huge experience in different clubs already.
"He has a unique talent based on the way we want to play so I'm delighted that the club has made an effort and we have Martin on a permanent deal here.
"You’ve seen the numbers and what we did after Christmas when Martin was in the team and we had people like Emile, the team performed at a completely different level.
"He’s someone that we admire and he’s still at the age in his career when the potential he has is still immense."
Arteta also confirmed that goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has completed a medical and his move from Sheffield United is almost a done deal.
The Arsenal boss said: "We will see, there is some paperwork getting done, he has his medical almost done as well, and there are still some things with Sheffield to be resolved, so we are going to have to wait."
Ramsdale will compete for the number 1 spot with Bernd Leno, who started last week's 2-0 defeat away to Brentford on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.
"It’s what we want [having two good goalkeepers] and it’s always been the case at this football club, it’s nothing new," Arteta added.
"We’re going to have two different profiles at two different stages in their career.
"Aaron is a really, really talented young goalkeeper with already huge experience and an international for England, and he’s going to bring competition, which is what we want, to create healthy competition, quality competition in every position. We needed a goalkeeper there and he’s the ideal option."
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